Requiem To Those Who Hurt
by TornButterflyWings
Summary: Hinata Hyuuga feels invisible, no one really notices her existence, and when they do...it isn't pleasant. Sasuke notices Hinata's pain from a distance and tries to show her his support by anonymously contacting her through her blog, but he wished he could do more, will he let his lifestyle get in the way of his true feelings? Will Hinata accept the help presented to her?
1. Chapter 1

Requiem To Those Who Hurt

Chapter 1 – Anonymous Feelings

Hinata squeezed her eyes shut she felt...she felt disgusted with herself. She hated that she was always so quiet, so unnoticed, and so unimportant. It wasn't that she didn't try to change but it seemed like no matter how much she tried nothing changed. Countless times she forced herself to tag along with Ino and Sakura in their various social activities, but it was always the same, she was out shined and ignored. She hated it. Ever since she could remember herself it was like this, for once, just for once she wanted to shine, and be first...at something, anything.

Hinata forced herself up off her bed, she'd been lying down for ages now, it was Sunday she should at least try and act like she was feeling ok. She ignored the intense urge to add another slit in her arm with her new shiny silver razor blade and booted up her laptop. The brunette quickly logged on to her blog and begun a new entry.

_A Requiem For Those Who Hurt_

_This is for those who hurt_

_The ones that go unseen, unnoticed_

_The ones with scars on their arms_

_and bars on their hearts_

_The ones who have been torn apart._

_That feeling that rises so high_

_choking your very being and_

_Twisting inside._

_The scratches and scrapes that mar_

_our skin, the bruises underneath_

_the layers of clothing_

_the feelings so strong, so poisonous_

_This is our requiem_

_A requiem for us who hurt_

_A requiem for us who are alone_

_A requiem for us who are torn_

_A requiem for us who are undone_

_A requiem for us who are unknown._

Hinata smiled slightly, her poetry was the only thing that kept her from feeling like she didn't exist at all, she quickly saved and posted her latest entry, hoping that even one person viewed it so they'd know that not only they felt that way. The brunette was about to sign off when the little chat box on her blog popped up.  
'Who could this be?' she thought, her hands instantly becoming clammy with nerves, no one ever chatted with her. Ever.

**Anonymous1: **Hi I just wanted to say that I like your posts, they are quite relatable.  
**HinataHyuuga: **Oh really? um wow...thank you  
**Anonymous1: **Yeah, you're not alone, even though you may feel that way, I always see you but I don't know what to say to get close to you, but even if I can't ever get close to you, I'm still here.

**HinataHyuuga: **Thankyou...no one has ever said that to me before, who are you?

Hinata wiped her sweaty palms on the front of her black sweat shirt, who was the anonymous person? Time seemed to slow down as she waited for Anonymous1 to reply. Her spirits began to plummet when a minute passed and there was no reply.  
_'Great, you scared them off with your pathetic self,' _thought Hinata, chewing nervously on her lip. She was about to close out the chat window when she heard a soft ding and a reply from Anonymous1 popped up.

**Anonymous1: **I can't tell you who I am...at least not yet.

Hinata's heart beat quickened and her fingers moved to reply but the anonymous replier had already gone. It didn't really matter though, all that mattered to her at this point was that someone cared, someone had noticed her existence. With a small smile on her face she quickly copied the conversation to a word document and uploaded it to her phone.  
_'Thankyou, whoever you are,'_ she thought and hugged the phone to her chest.

Sasuke ran a black painted nailed hand through his spiky raven hair and sighed, trying to release the tension from his shoulders. He wished he could save the Hyuuga girl, he'd been watching her for a while now and he could feel her pain and loneliness, it ate at him like raw acid. But he wasn't good with words or confrontations, the only time he could convey him feelings were in a song, poem or through a chat. He knew that if she found out who he was she'd reject him, after all someone like him could never be with someone like her. One, he was an Uchiha and she was a Hyuuga, two if he ever marred his 'popular' appearance by fraternizing with someone like her...well his Father would kill him. He was always being pushed by his parents to be better than Itachi, more popular, more accomplished...he hated it, but he was scared of what would happen if he didn't obey.

Sasuke closed his eyes as a rush of unpleasant memories; of the time he'd tried to resist his parent's orders flooded his mind.

_'Fuck it, not now!' _he hissed mentally and forced the memoires back down into the depths of his mind, focusing on thoughts of Hinata.  
She had been dominating his mind of late, the glimpses of her heavily scarred hands, which he'd seen when her long sleeved sweatshirt ruched up occasionally, tore at the seams of his dreams creating nightmares. He knew what it was like to be in a place where you were all alone and sinking...after all he was constantly fighting that place himself. He had many friends and was immensely popular in many social circles, both at school and outside, but none of those people really knew him, or tried to, to them he was just another clone of his older brother. Sasuke gripped the edges of his desk, he could feel the anger rising up in his chest, as usual he was helpless to do what he really wanted to; was he just going to let his own fears get in the way of saving someone like Hinata? The teen grit his teeth, anger overwhelming his senses and he shoved his desk away from him, his desktop and other paraphernalia on top of the desk clattering to the ground. In the midst of his anger he heard the heavy metal tune blasting from his phone.  
'Fuck whoever that is,' he thought, refusing to answer the mobile device. Suddenly he felt trapped, the heavily poster decorated walls in his bedroom seemed to close in on him, he grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the mess on the ground and raced down stairs and out the front door, ignoring the calls of the helper, it wasn't his mother...she was never home. Stuffing the pack of cigarettes in his pocket Sasuke stormed into the garage where he kept his sleek black motorcycle, started it and sped off, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he sped through the roads, everything a blur; but he felt free, free from the life that constricted him.

Hinata squeezed her way through the crowded halls of Konohagakure Institute, ignoring the snickers of Karin and her posse, her eyes focused on the wide screen of her i-phone, reciting the words from the chat conversation on her blog the previous day. She'd been doing this throughout the entire school day, it kept her from going over the edge, she finally had something that belonged to her and her alone and finally someone had recognized her existence.  
Hinata was pulled from her cocoon of thoughts by a familiar brash voice.

"Dude, would you hit that for any less than one hundred bucks?" Kiba asked his friends, who, like him, were leaning against the wall of the main hall. Sasuke felt his blood boil when he saw Hinata hunch into herself at Kiba's comment.  
"Inuzuka, shut the fuck up, not because no one wants to get with you, means it's like that for everyone else," snapped Sasuke icily, ignoring the laughter of the people around him and searched for Hinata, but she'd already gone.  
'Shit,' the brunette thought, she obviously hadn't heard his reply defending her.  
"What the fuck, why are you defending that Hyuuga bitch?" asked Kiba, the corners of his mouth turned up in a sneer. Sasuke's shoulders stiffened and turned his head slightly, not quite facing Kiba.  
"Inuzuka mind your own business..." he trailed not even trying slightly to hide the obvious threat in his words. Sasuke smirked and inclined his head as he leisurely strolled off, his hands in his pockets.  
"Hn, Uzumaki you coming or what?" Naruto smirked at Kiba, giving him a two fingered salute before saying,  
"See you later sucker-ttebayo!"

Hinata felt the heat of embarrassment rush to her cheeks when Kiba's comment reached her ears, without waiting to hear his friends more than likely agreeing comments. She rushed off, tears blinding her sight and was knocked over by a group of girls, who didn't even notice her lying on the ground, as usual she was invisible to people like them. Hinata picked herself up off the cold ground and rushed into the nearby girl's bathrooms, locking herself in one of the stalls.

Sasuke ignored Naruto's useless chatter, he hadn't really wanted to go anywhere with the blonde but Kiba had been grating on his nerves. The familiar long glossy black hair caught the corner of Sasuke's eye and his head snapped in its direction, he turned just in time to see Hinata's tear stained face disappear into the girl's bathroom.  
'Crap,' he moaned mentally and said out loud to Naruto,  
"Go ahead to class dobe, I need to use the restroom," Sasuke rolled his eyes at his lame excuse but didn't wait to hear Naruto's reply. He quickened his pace, searching for a quiet place, the corners of his lips turning upwards when he spied an empty classroom. He slipped into it and wasted no time pulling out his phone and googling Hinata's blog.

Hinata pulled her trembling knees up to her chest and pulled out her phone and logged on to her blog, ignoring the shrill ring of the bell signalling the end of lunch break. She didn't really feel like making a new entry but she needed to distract herself from the smooth blades pressing against her thigh through the pocket of her black jeans. She thumbed through the various entries, chewing on her lip, then a soft ping resounded from her phone, the chat box popping up on the lower right hand side of her blog.

**Anonymous1: **Hey, are you okay?

Hinata's breath caught in her throat when she saw the message and the tears she'd been trying to hold back overflowed and coursed down her cheeks. She had secretly hoped that her anonymous friend would be online so she could talk to him/her but hadn't really expected it to happen. The brunette paused, contemplating her reply.

_'Should I tell them what happened?' _she debated mentally, after all she wasn't used to people asking after her wellbeing.

**HinataHyuuga: **Um...  
**Anonymous1: **You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.  
**HinataHyuuga: **Sorry...I just...  
**Anonymous1: **Are you crying?

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, had the anonymous replier had seen her tear streaked face when she entered the bathroom?  
_'So they do go to this school then,' _she thought, feeling slightly happier, knowing that she had someone looking out for her in this hell hole. But her spirits sank again when she realized that the real reason they hadn't confronted her was because they didn't want to be seen with someone like her.

**HinataHyuuga: **Um...i guess so.  
**Anonymous1: **I'm sorry...I saw what happened, but don't let it get to you, I think you're beautiful the way you are, and I overheard someone defending you after Kiba said what he did.

Sasuke gripped his phone between his hands, he had come very close to giving away who he was, but it didn't really care at the moment, he just wanted to cheer Hinata up. Not for the first time in his life he wished he was someone else, if he was, he could just barge into the girl's bathroom and hug her close to his chest. A little voice in his head persisted on saying that he could still do it but he pushed it aside, he couldn't...he was Sasuke Uchiha after all, not anyone else.

Hinata felt her cheeks heat up when she read anonymous' reply.

**HinataHyuuga: **Thanks...so you do go to this school then?  
**Anonymous1: **Yeah...  
**Anonymous1: **I have to go, class.

Sasuke shoved his phone in his pocket, breathing heavily, he couldn't have answered her question properly or he'd have given away his identity for sure, and that couldn't happen. He already knew the consequences that would follow if it did, and they weren't pretty.

**AN: Please R&R and let me know what you think of the story! ^_^ It was an idea that I had an it wouldn't leave me alone so I just had to type it out.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Recogniton

Chapter 2 - Recognition

Hinata felt frozen as she read the hateful words that seemed to ooze venom from her laptop screen. Some troll had taken it upon themselves to comment on her blog and tell her that the reason she cut was all her fault. The words seemed to spiral in front of her, digging their double bladed claws into her heart, tearing, tugging and pulling. Something seemed to snap inside of her and she put her hands to her head and screamed.

_'It's not my fault, it's not my fault, i refuse to let myself believe that! I can't' _the brunette repeated this mantra over and over in her head. She didn't even notice when her father and Neji burst through the door after hearing her agonizing screams. Her entire body felt numb and the pain in her chest was unbearable, she couldn't feel her fingertips and her skin felt cold; her lungs felt as though they had water in them...she was suffocating...going under and everything went black. Before she lost consciousness Hinata vaguely heard her father and Neji calling her name but the only thing she could think was,

_'It's my fault...it is.'_

Her throat felt dry and itchy and her body shivered with cold, but she wasn't numb anymore and she could breathe now. Hinata's eyes flickered open and she was greeted by the stark white of the hospital ceiling.

"Hinata!" said her father's semi-worried voice and his face soon followed into her field of vision. "How are you feeling now? The doctor said you had a panic attack, what happened?" Hinata licked her dry lips, feeling a bitter smile forming, since when did her father care about her wellbeing? He probably just didn't want to look bad in front of the nurses.

"Nothing, I was just stressed out from school work," Hinata lied, closing her eyes against the emotional pain that threatened to choke her. Silence greeted her in return, she could feel her father's eyes observing her, but she let nothing slip past her mask. If she told him the real reason it'd open up too many doors, and being the person he was, he'd just tell her it was her fault for being so weak.

"Just don't let it happen again, you know that we Hyuuga have an image to maintain." he said coldly and then turned to leave.

_'As usual,' _Hinata thought bitterly _'as usual he only cares about the family's image and Hanabi...' _unshed tears burned in her eyes and she swallowed hard, refusing to break down again.  
_'I wonder if Ino and Sakura know I had to go to the hospital….' _Hinata thought vaguely, but she already knew the sad, harsh answer. They probably knew but weren't strong enough, or didn't care enough to ask her what happened or lend their support. But she knew when she saw them at school the next day they'd come to her with some pathetic excuse as to why they didn't call/visit.

Sasuke forced himself to keep his face neutral as Neji told him that they had to rush Hinata to the hospital. Neji, Naruto and Gaara had come over to Sasuke's house to have band practice, once there, Neji broke the knew to them.

"So, she's out now, right?" Sasuke drawled, feigning nonchalance, he couldn't let it show that he actually cared, but he wish he could.

"Yeah, they released her a few hours after she went in," replied Neji, like Sasuke, trying not to reveal how much he actually cared. Sasuke nodded, feeling relief flood his entire being, she was okay, or at least for now.

"Can we take a break and go get something to eat?" whined Naruto causing everyone to roll their eyes, the blonde was always hungry.

"K," mumbled Sasuke. He wasn't really hungry but his mind was too active to focus on practice.

Minutes later they arrived at the Black Rock Cafe, one of the best in Konoha. Sasuke slouched in his seat in the booth they'd snagged, tuning out Naruto's useless chatter, Neji's cold responses and Gaara's glares, his mind was filled with a certain long haired Hyuuga...no not Neji.

'I should probably check up on her...' Sasuke thought; leaning back to look at the heavily graffitied ceiling of the booth. Following his thought Sasuke retrieved his phone from his pocket and in seconds was on the chat on Hinata's blog.

**Anonymous1: **I heard you had to go to the hospital, are you ok?

Hinata traced her finger on the edge of her disposable cup filled with sweetened coffee, her mind lost in thought. She was trying to think of something to write on her daily blog entry but her mind was too foggy and twisted with the recent events. The heiress sighed and was about to log off when the familiar 'ping' sound filled her ears and the chat box popped up. Her lips curved upwards into a soft smile, it was anonymous.

**HinataHyuuga: **Yeah I'm alright now...it wasn't really anything serious...i had a panic attack.  
**Anonymous1:** Shit. That sucks, what caused it?  
**HinataHyuuga: **um well...  
**Anonymous1: **sorry, you don't have to say if you don't want to.

Sasuke felt like banging his head against the sides of the booth, why had he gone and asked such a stupid question? She was sure to be mad at him now. The Uchiha almost reverted to his old habit of biting his nails out of nervousness as he waited for Hinata to reply.

**HinataHyuuga: **No its fine, it's just well someone said that the reason why I self-harm is my fault...and it kind of triggered me.  
**Anonymous1: **the fuck? Well it isn't, they don't know anything about you, yes you made the decision to self-harm but the circumstances that made you isn't ur fault.  
**HinataHyuuga: **thanx...I'll try to believe that.

Sasuke groaned mentally, she didn't believe him, he knew it wouldn't be that easy, but he had hoped it would be, but at least she said she'd try.

**Anonymous1: **Good. Well what are you doing?

Hinata's brows raised in surprise, was the anonymous person trying to make small talk with her? No one ever really did that, she had thought they'd only talk to her when she was feeling down, but apparently she was wrong. She smiled and began to reply.

**HinataHyuuga: **I'm currently at the Black Rock Cafe, drinking coffee...  
**Anonymous1: **I'm at a cafe too, won't tell you which one though :p

Sasuke tried not to turn around and search for Hinata, to see where she was sitting and if she was looking at him. He was an Uchiha, and Uchiha's don't act desperate, he forced himself to believe that mantra so he wouldn't give himself away.

'Ugh why did i put a smiley face? I never use emoticons,' thought Sasuke frustratedly, not realizing that emoticons were quite a normal part of texting.

**HinataHyuuga: **Why? Because you'd give your identity away?  
**Anonymous1: **Exactly so...  
**HinataHyuuga: **well okay, i'll accept that, for now.  
**Anonymous1: **We have a project for history class...wonder who I'll get partnered with.  
**HinataHyuuga: **I hate history...contrary to popular belief..you know because I'm a Hyuuga and all. And it'd be funny if you got paired with me.

Sasuke felt the corners of his mouth twitch upward, he always had a gut feeling that Hinata had a playful side, but it didn't show because her life stifled it.

**Anonymous1: **oh wouldn't that be world news *sarcasm*  
**HinataHyuuga: **very funny... ;p  
**Anonymous1: **yeah i know it was funny, that was the point.  
**HinataHyuuga: -_- **lol...

Hinata covered her lips with a pale hand, trying to smother the smile that was creeping onto her lips, this anonymous person was definitely succeeding at lifting her spirits. The busty teen stretched her stiff shoulders and looked around her, giving her eyes a break from the screen of her phone. As she observed the other people in the cafe her eyes fell upon a familiar group. It was Uchiha Sasuke with Naruto, Gaara and Neji-san. The black-haired teen seemed to like whomever he was talking to on his phone, because a slight smile tugged at his lips as he bent his head slightly over his phone. She had always felt slightly afraid of the Uchiha, because of his social status and usually dark expressions, but as she observed him now, he seemed much more approachable...almost normal.

"Ne, ne who are you texting teme?" asked Naruto, while craning his neck to see the screen of Sasuke's phone. Sasuke glared at Naruto and pushed his phone farther out of sight, no one needed to know he was talking to Hinata just yet, and worst of all not Neji, who was now looking quite interested at Naruto's question.

"Its none of your business dobe," snapped Sasuke.  
"Hehehe Sasu-chan has a secret lover!" grinned Naruto, wiggling his eyebrows infuriatingly. Neji and Gaara snickered while Sasuke just 'hned' and returned to his convo.

**HinataHyuuga: **Just saw Uchiha Sasuke and his friends at the same cafe I'm at.  
**Anonymous1: **Oh...did you speak to him?

-  
Sasuke felt his palms get clammy as he waited for Hinata's response, he was anxious to know what she thought about him.

**HinataHyuuga: **Um, well I don't really know him but he always seems to be rather hard to approach...and kind of scary.  
**Anonymous1: **Yeah..maybe he has a lot on his mind.  
**HinataHyuuga: **Yeah...I hope I don't have to do the project with him though...he'd hate to work with someone like me. Plus I'd be too scared to work with him...

-  
Sasuke felt his already gloomy spirits sink even further,  
_'So she's afraid of me...'_ he thought _'at least she doesn't hate me though.' _Suddenly an idea formed in the Uchiha's mind and he smirked, he'd prove her wrong and work with her on the project.

_Tuesday (School entrance)_

"Aw Hina-chan I'm so sorry I didn't get to visit you when you were in the hospital!" crooned Ino as she enveloped Hinata in a tight hug on the steps leading up to the school's entrance. Hinata mentally rolled her eyes and thought,  
_'Yeah right...'_ but outwardly she just forced a smile and said "U-um it's okay..."  
"Yeah I'm sorry too Hinata," said Sakura distractedly while checking her phone for messages. Hinata swallowed the lump in her throat, after talking to the anonymous replier for so long the previous evening she almost forgot how invisible she actually was in reality.

"It's fine...well u-um I have to go now, I have History class," stuttered Hinata and rushed past Ino and Sakura, who has already begun conversing among themselves.

'_Ugh, so much for that,'_ Hinata thought as she made her way to History class, she knew it would be this way but she had hoped it would be different.

Hinata quickly took a seat at a desk near the back of the class, she didn't even bother try to take a seat at the front because she'd be told to go to the back regardless. Looking around she realized that she was the first person to arrive; she liked being the first and a few minutes later Uchiha Sasuke walked in, his signature stoic expression firmly in place. Hinata watched him out of the corner of her eye, too shy to make eye contact, but her head snapped up when she noticed him coming over to where she sat. Instantly her palms became clammy,  
_'What did I do? Why is he coming over here?' _Hinata thought nervously...it couldn't be to sit beside her, no one ever sat beside her by choice, ever.

Sasuke noticed the shy Hyuuga heiress sitting near the back of the classroom, her thick bangs hiding most of her face. She seemed to automatically slouch into herself, her very being seemed to scream loneliness and Sasuke grimaced, he was going to change that, one way or another. Making his way over to where Hinata sat, Sasuke slid into the seat next to her, inclining his head slightly in a greeting. His throat felt constricted, he couldn't have spoken even if he wanted. Contrary to popular belief he was not quiet only my choice, but also because he was never good with conveying his emotions by speaking. He watched, feeling satisfied as Hinata's eyes widened and a small blush stained her cheeks, but he turned away before she could respond.

Hinata felt as though her lungs were being squeezed, she couldn't breathe.  
_'Why is Uchiha Sasuke sitting beside me? and he even acknowledged me...even though it was just a nod, but Neji-san does it all the time so i know what it mean...' _Hinata thought, her head began to pound from all the thoughts swirling around in it and she took a deep breath forcing herself to breathe, she didn't want to get a panic attack here.  
_'Well I guess I'll find out what this is about...eventually, even if its just having his fangirls attack me.' _she mused, watching as the classroom began to fill with chattering students.

"Good morning class," said Kurenai Yuuhi greeted after writing the date on the blackboard positioned behind her. She smiled tolerantly when Kiba wolf whistled at her, but her red eyes glittered with an unspoken warning and the Inuzuka quieted down.  
"You all know that we've been learning about Feudal Japan, so I would like you to pair up and give me a project on your family's history in that era, no less than 150 pages." ended Kurenai, her smile widening sadistically, she loved to assign her students difficult and mostly boring assignments. The entire class simultaneously groaned at the news, Kurenai was a difficult teacher to please when it came to assignments.

Hinata felt a little bored by the assignment, she knew everything about the Hyuuga clan, after all she and her sister, as a part of the main branch, or what was previously the main branch, had to learn everything about the clan's history...it got a bit tiring sometimes.

"Well go ahead and pick numbers from this container and pass it along when you do," said Kurenai while handing the said container to the student nearest to her.

Sasuke smirked, it was time to carry out his plan, he was going to prove to Hinata that he did indeed want to work with someone like her. He quickly glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she opened her folded paper, he easily made out a number fourteen and grimaced in displeasure, he'd gotten number twenty. Sasuke leaned over and lightly shoved Naruto, who was sitting in front of him, in the shoulder.

"Oi, dobe what number did you get?" he asked quietly.  
"Eh? Why do you want to know, do you want to work with me or something teme?" replied Naruto his blue eyes glinting with mischief. "Because ya know i'm better than you at this stuff, tene, dattebayo!" Sasuke scowled, trust Naruto to go off on an epiphany of bullshit after he asked one simple question.  
"Shut the fuck up dobe and answer my question" Sasuke growled in annoyance.  
"Maii...fine, fine, I got number fourteen," Naruto shrugged, puzzled as to why it mattered to Sasuke, if he didn't want to work with him.  
"Give me your number, now." Sasuke said impatiently, he wanted to switch number before Kurenai noticed.  
"My number?" squinted Naruto, feigning confusion, "You already have it..." Sasuke grit his teeth his black eyes glinting dangerously and Naruto scrambled to shoved the number in his open palm, grabbing the one that lay there. Sasuke's lips tugged upwards, all he had left to do was show Hinata that he had the same number as she did.

"Oi, Hyuuga what number do you have?" asked Sasuke, pretending as though he didn't already know. Hinata jerked in surprise her head whipping around to face Sasuke, was he actually speaking to her?  
"A-ano I-I have n-number fourteen," she managed to to say, stuttering even more than when he raised one dark eyebrow. Hinata's face reddened in embarrassment.  
_'Why did I have to go and stutter so much at a time like this?! Kami I'm so pathetic!' _the brunette berated herself and was about to turn away when Sasuke replied.

"Hn, I have the same number," he said, his face betraying no particular emotion, but on the inside he was a storm of chaos.  
"A-ano...so i guess we have to work together then," replied Hinata while mentally slapping herself for stating the obvious, Sasuke was sure to make fun of her now, she was surprised that he hadn't already.

Sasuke sighed mentally, it was going to a long and arduous task working with Hinata if she continued to clam up round him, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Hn, yeah..." he trailed noticing the way her pale grey eyes lit up when he didn't make fun of her bumbling statement. A small smile tugged at his lips, he liked her eyes.

Hinata made her way to the classroom door, squeezing through the barrage of students when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
"Hyuuga, my house this evening, 7:30?" asked Sasuke. For a split second Hinata didn't know what he was talking about and her brow wrinkled in confusion, then she remembered, they had a project to work on together. She hadn't thought he'd actually go through with it, one, he didn't seem like the studious type and two he had _her_ as a partner.

"A-ano yeah, 7:30 is fine," Hinata replied quietly, her eyes focused on the floor, but looked up just in time to see Sasuke nod stiffly and move off down the hallway. It was only after he left that it hit her, she was going to the Uchiha Sasuke's house! she'd never been there before, even those most of the student of Konohagakure Institute had because he held various parties from time to time. But she was never invited and hated to just tag along with Ino and Sakura. A small nervous smile tugged at her lips and she hugged her books close to her chest, she doubted that it meant anything to him...but for her to be recognized my someone like him...even if it was just because of a school project, it meant everything.

-  
Sasuke quickly ducked into a nearby empty classroom and pulled out his phone, anxious to find out what Hinata thought about being partners with him.  
Hinata was exchanging her books in her locker when her phone vibrated in her pocket, she retrieved it and tapped the screen, the browser with her blog popping up; she had a message from Anonymous1. Smiling, the brunette began to reply.

-  
**Anonymous1: **Who did you get paired with in History class?  
**HinataHyuuga: **Sasuke...the Uchiha Sasuke lol...I thought he'd have demanded Kurenai-sensei give him another number when he found out he had the same one as me.  
**Anonymous1: **Why would you think that?

Sasuke frowned, was her image of him that bad? He really needed to do something about that...and soon.  
**HinataHyuuga: **Well..um because y'know I'm not like popular or anything...i'm just the invisible girl in the corner who always wears long sleeves regardless of the weather.  
**Anonymous1: **Well thats not a valid reason, because I don't think you're invisible...you certainly aren't to me...you're too beautiful for that, so I am sure Sasuke feels the same.

Sasuke groaned, he really needed to control himself in the chat, why did go and tell her he thought she was beautiful? I mean she didn't know it was him and it was the truth, but still...

Hinata felt her face heat up, someone thought she was beautiful? That was a first! She had always been compared to Hanabi when growing up and because of it had never thought of herself as beautiful. Not to mention the insults from the bullies...they'd eased off now but she never knew when they attack her again, both verbally and physically.

**HinataHyuuga: **Um thanx...no one has ever said that to me before...seriously.  
**Anonymous1: **Well then they were either blind or just fuckin stupid.

Sasuke smirked, so he was the first one to compliment her on her phenomenal beauty, it pissed him off that not even her own family had thought to compliment her but it also pleased him that he was the first...he was slightly possessive that way.

**Anonymous1: **So are you nervous about going to Sasuke's house?  
**HinataHyuuga: **Yeah kind of..I mean I've never been there before and I'm not used to being around someone like him...  
**Anonymous1: **It'll be fine, if it isn't I'll deal with him for u.  
**HinataHyuuga: **lol um thanx?  
**Anonymous1: **I hope that lol was real...you should laugh more.  
**HinataHyuuga: **It was... :)  
**Anonymous1: **good, well I have to go now...already late for class.  
**HinataHyuuga: **crap, me too.

Sasuke smiled as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, damn he was doing alot of smiling lately, but he didn't actually mind, as long as he didn't do it in public. He was over the moon at finding out Hinata didn't hate being partners with him, although he hated the fact that she was so hard on herself, going as far as to assume that he'd ask for new number just because she was his partner.  
_'She's been through alot...but I hope I can make a difference...starting with this project.' _Thought Sasuke, leaning his head against the wall of the dark empty classroom, he was going to skip class, no doubt about that.

Hinata settled into her seat, not noticing the annoyed look she received from Orochimaru-sensei for arriving to class late, her mind was filled to the brim with thoughts of a certain Uchiha and the anonymous person.

_'I hope I don't mess things up tonight,' _she thought anxiously for some reason she really wanted Sasuke to think well of her. _'Well only time will tell,'_

**AN: hehe all those awesome reviews and favs and alerts got me to type out the second chapter quickly :D I hope you enjoy! R&R the more reviews the faster the chapter get typed ;p hehehe wubs u all!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hinata hugged her black hoodie close her body, she'd been standing in front of the Uchiha's doorstep for two minutes now, trying to work up the courage to ring the bell.  
_'What if he changed his mind? What if I mess up everything?' _Hinata thought, her palms sweaty and her lips had already begun to bruise from her teeth gnawing on them. But she knew she had to get it over with and so she raised and shaking hand and rung the doorbell, waiting for someone to answer.

* * *

Sasuke paced back and forth in his bedroom she hadn't shown up yet and it was already two minutes past 7:30.  
_'Two minutes!' _Sasuke thought, he really was overreacting, but he just couldn't shake the doubt that she wouldn't come...after all it was the first time he'd invited anyone over to his house, apart from his bandmates, for something other than a party. Sasuke was about to ask Neji for Hinata's number so he could call her when he heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it!" he yelled before one of the numerous maids in the vast Uchiha estate could answer it. Rushing uncharacteristically down the stairs Sasuke came to a halt in front of the door and stopped to compose himself then yanked the door open and was met with Hinata's shivering form.

_'Just how long was she standing out here?' _thought Sasuke when he heard her chattering teeth.  
"Get inside, you're freezing."  
"A-ano, thanks..." Hinata shivered rubbing her arms violently. Sasuke barely resisted the urge to throw his arms around Hinata and hug her till she was warm, instead he shrugged off his hoodie and placed it over her shoulders then turned away to his burning face.  
"This way Hyuuga," he said gruffly, trying to hide the emotion in his voice.

* * *

Hinata felt frozen both from cold and from Sasuke's reaction...he had given her his jacket! She felt as though she was going to melt on the spot, warmth seem to flood her entire body until she almost felt hot.  
_'Did he just give me his hoodie? Why am I suddenly visible to him? Not because we are doing a project together means he has to notice me...did someone pay him off to do this?' _Hinata thought, but she already knew the answer, Sasuke was filthy rich and even though she didn't know him very well she knew that money did matter to him at all. Following Sasuke up the stairs Hinata drank in every detail of his house, its was, surprisingly, a lot like the Hyuuga's residence. When Sasuke stopped walking Hinata noticed that they were in a bedroom...his room.  
_'Shit, am I in his room?' _Hinata thought while nervously twisting her hands, she felt as though her head was going to explode. She wasn't used to attention like this. Sasuke sat on his bed trying not to stare at Hinata's blushing face, and trying really hard to act nonchalant..and failing.  
Hinata glanced around the room it was covered in posters of various bands, most of which she recognized. She smiled when she saw the OfMice&Men poster.  
"I didn't know you liked them," she said while gesturing to the poster.  
"Hn, yeah i do...and you can sit," Sasuke replied, his black eyes dancing playfully.

_'The fuck? I don't ever joke around, what is wrong with me?' _he thought, feeling intensely annoyed with himself. Hinata blushed in embarrassment,  
"A-no, yeah..sorry," she mumbled and stumble into the nearby desk chair. For a moment the two teens were silent then an idea sparked in Sasuke's mind and he smirked.  
"So...Hyuuga, wanna skip this project?" he asked, his lips quirked upwards.  
_'Is he serious? If so what should I say?' _thought Hinata, her grey eyes widening with confusion. Seeing her expression Sasuke did something he hadn't done in a long time, he laughed. Hinata bristled at his laughter,  
_'Is he laughing at me? Nothing new there I guess...' _she thought, suddenly feeling cold again. Sasuke could see her drawing into herself and mentally kicked himself.  
"Oi, Hyuuga, I was just kidding."  
_'Of Course he was!' _Hinata thought, instantly hating herself for jumping to conclusions.  
"U-um okay," Hinata replied while giving Sasuke a weak smile.  
_'Yay she isn't mad at me! wait since when do i go yay? no! I go hn!' _Sasuke thought, wondering what was happening to him because he did not say .

* * *

Twenty minutes later they were still trying to start the project and still failing miserably.  
"Che, fuck this," Sasuke said then grabbed his ipod and shoved one of the ear buds in Hinata's ear, "know this song?" he asked before she even had a chance to react.  
"Oh yeah!" Hinata said, her face lighting up and for the first time she didn't stutter in front of him. Her confidence didn't last long though, as she knew that if she didn't complete the project in time she would be in big trouble if her father found out.

"A-ano, Sasuke-san I think we should work on the project now...I mean if it's okay with you, because if I don't finish the project on time I will be in trouble with my father." Hinata whispered, her voice getting quieter and quieter as she reached the end of her sentence, her head bowed and her hands trembling.

'That was fast,' thought Sasuke, referring to Hinata's brief spurt of confidence. The Uchiha was quiet for a couple moments when he noticed Hinata's trembling hands, why did the mention of her father's name induce such fear into her? These thoughts continued to plague Sasuke's mind, creating a confused whirlpool of thoughts, but when Hinata got to her feet to leave he realized he hadn't answered her yet.

"Hn, where are you going? We have a project to start, its going to be pretty long since we have to write about how the Uchiha's kicked the Hyuuga's butts in the past." smirked Sasuke and Hinata froze in her tracks.

He wasn't mad at her! She felt a wave of happiness fill her chest and she turned around to face him, a small smile on her face at his blatant attempt to make a joke by insulting her family. She didn't mind half as much as she should have.

* * *

Around two hours later they decided to call it a night and Hinata packed up her books and headed to the front door of the Uchiha mansion to let herself out. When she reached the doorstep Sasuke called out to her.

"Hinata, wait." He didn't have to repeat himself because she stopped in her tracks, her face hot with emotion.

'Did he just call me Hinata, and not Hyuuga?' she thought, hugging her books closer to her body. So he did know her name!

"W-what is it Sasuke-san?" she asked timidly, hoping he wasn't going to change his mind about being partners with her.

"Uhm..." Sasuke spluttered while mentally chastising himself for losing his ability to speak.

'Wow just great, what an awesome Uchiha you are!' he snarled mentally, forcing himself to look at Hinata, who had now turned around. The night breeze was gently swirling her long jet black hair around her and her cheeks were red from the cold, or so he thought. But it was her eyes that almost undid him. He could still see the fear in their violet depths, she thought he was going to reject her. Sasuke forced himself to look away and swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Che, I need your number Hyuuga, how else am I going to contact you about this project crap?" But for all his self-control, he didn't sound half as nonchalant and gruff as he had hoped.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief so he wasn't going to tell her to get lost, but then the impact of what he'd said hit her and another wave of heat flushed over her face.

'He wants my number? The Sasuke Uchiha wants my number?!' thought Hinata excitedly, no one had ever asked for her number before, especially not the male gender. It was just because of the project of course but it still filled her cold lonely heart with warmth.

"A-ano, u-um s-sure," Hinata stuttered even more than usual and her ears reddened with embarrassment. She fumbled for her phone and handed it to Sasuke who typed in his number in her contacts as she did the same to his phone. Hinata handed Sasuke's phone back to him, trying to ignore the fact that her hand was now brushing against his as she placed the mobile device into his palm. But when pressed her phone into her palm and his fingers brushed the back of her icy hand she stiffened and her hand seemed to fill with warmth.

'Her hands are really cold, is she that nervous?' thought Sasuke as he looked down at Hinata's pale hand. The sleeve of her shirt had rode up slightly and he noticed the edge of an angry red scar peeking out from underneath the hem, he also noticed how fragile her skin looked, she seemed to be, at that moment, a living porcelain doll.

'I wish I could remove that scar.' Sasuke mused angrily, wondering what had driven Hinata to inflict wounds on herself. He knew they were self-inflicted, after all he had quite a few of his own. Hinata noticed Sasuke staring down at the small piece of the scar that peaked out from under her ruched up sleeve.

'Crap!' she thought as humiliation filled her gut and she yanked her hand from Sasuke's, her palm tightly curled around her phone.

"A-ano I have to go its late, I should be home already, thank you for letting me work on the project with you." Hinata managed to get out before she turned and feld, tears stinging in her eyes.

'He must think I'm so pathetic and ugly with my scarred skin.' the heiress thought as her feet pounded on the pavement of the Uchiha's driveway, if she only knew how wrong she was and how beautiful he thought she was at that moment; scars and all.

"Dammit!" Sasuke spat as he watched Hinata's retreating figure, he had scared her off with his weird staring, she probably thought that he thought she was a freak or something.

'How did I manage to mess up again? kuso!' he cursed mentally then turned and headed back to his room, the feel of Hinata's hand still ghosting over his own. He knew what he had to do.

* * *

Hinata quietly entered the Hyuuga mansion, trying to be as discreet as possible, she was well over an hour late, she had wasted too much time at Sasuke's house when they had stopped to listen to music. She quickly removed her jacket and was about to head to her room when the smooth but deadly voice of her father echoed from behind her.

"You are late," Hiashi hissed, his tone quiet and deadly with anger.

'Shit!' thought Hinata and forced herself to turn and face her father, clenching her trembling hands in front of her and bowing respectfully.

"G-gomen nasai Otousama, b-but working on the project with Sasuke-san to a lot longer than I thought it would." she stuttered, looking down at her shoes, her body clenched in fear.

"Did I not tell you to return home by 9:30 pm? It is now 10:15!" Hiashi scowled angrily "How much more incompetent can you get, even you're younger sister can follow an order as simple as that! You are completely worthless, and maybe working with that Uchiha is not helping your incompetence."

Hinata's eyes stung with tears and she felt as though Hiashi had slapped her. Didn't he already remind her enough that she nothing in comparison to Hanabi and basically everyone else? But when he had begun to drag Sasuke into it she couldn't stay silent.

"It wasn't Sasuke's fault! Please don't let me quit the project I-" she was cut off by a furious Hiashi.

"Do not talk back to me." he spat, his voice going even quieter and deadlier and he reached out and slapped Hinata across her face, sending her sprawling on the floor. "Do not let tonight repeat itself." with that he exited the room as quickly as he'd come leaving Hinata sobbing on the floor as her face began to bruise.

* * *

'Shit! Why isn't she answering?!' thought Sasuke agitatedly as he paced back and forth in his room. He'd logged on to her blog, intent on finding out what he'd done wrong earlier by means of Anonymous1, but it had already been twenty minutes and there was no reply. But then it hit him that she didn't know Anonymous1 was him so it couldn't be that she was too angry to reply, something must have happened.

* * *

Hinata fell onto her bed tears rolling down the side of her cheek and into her hair. No amount of makeup was going to cover the bruise, she didn't know how she was going to endure the jeers the following day at school. As she sunk further into her depressed state Hinata's fingers began to itch for the smooth feel of her silver razor.

'Why am I so worthless and disgusting? Even my own father thinks so...' she thought bitterly and was fully intent on punishing herself with the little silver blade when her phone made a pinging noise indicating she had a notification. Hinata raised her phone in her trembling hands and gently tapped the screen opening the browser that was still logged in to her blog, her eyes skipping over to the chat box at the right hand corner of the screen.

**Anonymous1: **are you there? Is something wrong, you haven't answered for 20 minutes now

Hinata felt another wave of emotion wash over here and fresh tears sprang into her eyes. Why was this anonymous person so nice to her? Why didn't they realize what trash she was?

**HinataHyuuga: **Yeah sorry, I didn't realize you were trying to get me...I wasn't feeling so well.

'Shit, I knew something was wrong!' thought Sasuke gritting his teeth as he quickly typed a reply, he was going to find out what it was, he just hoped it was not because of his actions earlier.

**Anonymous1: **Why, what's wrong? :/

**HinataHyuuga: **Um...

Hinata bit her lip anxiously, should she tell anonymous about her father? about Sasuke? What if it made them hate her? She couldn't risk that, they were the only friend she had.

**Anonymous1: **I won't force you to tell me, but whatever it is I'm here to listen.

**HinataHyuuga: **If I tell you, you'll hate me...

**Anonymous1:** you said that before and I already said no, but since it you seem to have forgotten, no, I won't!

**HinataHyuuga: **sorry...I just feel like nothing right now...

**Anonymous1: **Did Sasuke do something when you went to his house to work on the project?

Sasuke held his breath as he waited for Hinata to reply he really hoped he wasn't the cause of her distress.

**HinataHyuuga: **no..not really, I mean he kind of saw one of the scars on my wrist when my sleeve rode up...he must think I'm ugly and worthless now.

'What?!' Sasuke yelled mentally, why would she think that? Couldn't she see how beautiful she was? She looked like a doll for fuck's sake!

'But of course she can't, she too damaged.' said a little voice in his head and he clenched his fists, well he was going to fix that, even if it took one hundred years.

**Anonymous1: **No, I really don't think he'd think so. He may seem to be really harsh but he's struggles with alot of things too...more than you know. And a scar dosen't make you ugly, in fact it makes you even more beautiful because it shows that you were strong enough to recover from whatever caused it.

Hinata felt as though her chest was going to burst and all the words that she'd been trying to hold back slipped from her grasp and she typed furiously through her tears.

**HinataHyuuga: **How can you think that? I am nothing! even my own Father thinks so! The bruise on my face right now proves that...

Sasuke felt as though someone had stabbed him in the gut, now he knew why Hinata had trembled at the mention of her father.

'Fucking bastard!' he snarled mentally.

**Anonymous1: **what?! Did he do anything else to you? That bastard, I'll kill him! Can't he see how lucky he is to have a daughter like you?!

**HinataHyuuga: **Thanks...um I'm okay he just hit me in my face...I, I'm so sorry I'm just not used to being comforted like this. No one has done this for me before.

**Anonymous1: ** Don't apologize you're worth it, you should probably go and put some ice on your cheek to help with the pain and the swelling.

**HinataHyuuga: **how did you know it was swollen?

**Anonymous1: **I am not new to this kind of treatment.

**HinataHyuuga: **Something like this happened to you before?

**Anonymous1: **yeah...

Sasuke leaned back against the wall of his bedroom, trying to stem the anger coursing through his veins. How could her own father turn against her? She such a gentle and loving person regardless of how others treated her...She didn't deserve to be abused...not like he did.

**HinataHyuuga: **sorry, I shouldn't have asked.

**Anonymous1: **no its fine, I was just lost in thought, I just can't understand why someone would want to hurt you. And are you sure you're okay?

**HinataHyuuga: **Um...I don't know what to say...and yeah I'm alright now...I don't really feel like cutting so badly anymore.

**Anonymous1: **You felt like cutting? No! Why didn't you contact me? I told you anytime you felt that way you could talk to me...

**HinataHyuuga: **I know...I'm just not used to relying on others.

**Anonymous1:** well get used to it because you're stuck with me. Hn.

**HinataHyuuga: **Hn? do you know Sasuke or something, he always says that!

'Oh crap!' Sasuke groaned, he'd almost given away his cover.

**Anonymous1: **Yeah I do know him but I didn't know he said that.

**HinataHyuuga: **Oh...

**Anonymous1: **You should get some rest now, but you have to promise me you won't hurt yourself.

**HinataHyuuga: **I promise.

Sasuke tossed and turned restlessly in his bed, visions of Hinata's bruised face kept invading his mind like a poison.

* * *

_1:30 am_

'Fuck it!' he snarled mentally and flung the covers off his bed before getting up and quickly dressing. He had to go and see if she was alright for himself, it wasn't that he didn't trust her words but Hinata was too self-sacrificing. He quietly made his way down stairs so he didn't wake anyone then silently climbed through the front window. Sasuke easily made his way to the back of the mansion and scaled the high wall, ignoring the pain that seared through his knees when he landed on the pavement below. He knew the surveillance cameras had probably caught him but he needed to see Hinata too desperately to care. He would worry about that later.

* * *

A couple minutes later Sasuke was crawling over the fence to the Hyuuga mansion, his senses on edge as he looked out for any other presence. He quickly made his way to the side of the house where Hinata's bedroom was located, taking the route that he knew couldn't be caught by the surveillance cameras. He and Neji had sneaked out enough times for him to know by now. Scaling the vines that clung to the walls he swung himself up onto the balcony that lead to her bedroom. The sliding doors were slightly open and he could see her laying on her bed, her chest rising and falling slowly with the motions of sleep. A wave of relief washed over him when he saw that she okay, if only physically, that was enough to make him feel thankful. The moonlight glinted over her raven locks at that moment and Sasuke saw the sadness on her visage that she couldn't mask with sleep.

'Che, what are you doing to me Hinata?' Sasuke thought wryly as a sad smile twisted his lips. He'd gotten up in the wee hours of the morning to sneak into her house to see if she was okay. It was a rash desicion considering the animosity between their families but it was worth it. Sasuke quietly slipped into her room with the stealth of an assassin and leaned down, placing a chaste kiss on Hinata's forehead and the knot in his heart seemed to loosen a little when her face smoothed out, looking a little less sad. He quickly exited and hurried back towards his own house, knowing that he was going to have to face his actions in the morning.

**AN: tadaaaa! Here is chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it c: hehe I am on a roll with the updates this week! :D peeeease give me lovely reviews because I stayed up so late typing this *sniff* and I have school in the morning and I'm in lots of pain :/ *gets on my knees and begs***


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